Cervical screening buses offering drop-in appointments at Lancashire locations

A mobile cervical screening service will be available in locations across Lancashire in the new year, in a bid to reach areas with low uptake.

Living Well buses will visit venues in the region throughout January, offering free drop-in cervical screening appointments to women and people with a cervix aged from 25 to 64 who have missed their previous bookings, are overdue a screening, or have never been screened.

Just like a visit to your GP, the bus will provide a safe, comfortable and private area for cervical screening appointments to take place.

Dr Neil Smith, primary care director at Lancashire and South Cumbria Cancer Alliance, said: “The cervical screening programme is very important and saves thousands of lives each year.

“We are targeting areas with low uptake and want to offer as many options as possible to make it as convenient as we can - no appointment is necessary, just drop in on the day.

“The screening appointments should only take around 10 minutes in total, but it’s 10 minutes out of your day that can potentially save your life.”

The Living Well buses will be at the following locations in January, with more stops still to be confirmed:

• Tuesday 6 - Lidl, Devonshire Road, Blackpool
• Tuesday 6 - Asda, Hyndburn Road, Accrington
• Thursday 8 - Little Harwood Family Hub, Robinson Street, Blackburn
• Thursday 8 - Preston Muslim Forum, Castleton Road
• Monday 12 - Preston Muslim Forum, Castleton Road
• Wednesday 14 - Women Zone, Duckworth Street, Blackburn
• Wednesday 14 - Morrisons, Pendle Street, Nelson
• Thursday 15 - At the Grange, Dinmore Avenue, Blackpool
• Wednesday 21 - Bickerstaffe Plaza, Bickerstaffe Square, Blackpool
• Wednesday 21 - Asda, Hyndburn Road, Accrington
• Saturday 24 - Little Harwood Family Hub, Robinson Street, Blackburn
• Monday 26 - Women Zone, Duckworth Street, Blackburn
• Monday 26 - Nelson Family Hub/The Zone, Leeds Road, Nelson
• Wednesday 28 - Tesco, Clifton Retail Park, Blackpool

All visits run from 11am to 4pm.

Attendees can bring someone with them to their appointment, such as a friend, family member or chaperone, to help make it feel more comfortable.

Cervical screening, also known as the smear test, tests for HPV (human papillomavirus) that can cause cervical cancer. If these types of HPV are found, they can be treated before they get a chance to turn into cervical cancer.

Tricia Spedding, head of public health for NHS England in the North West, said: “We know that uptake of cervical screening is significantly low in some parts of our region and I’m incredibly pleased that we have extended the mobile cervical screening unit to people in Lancashire and South Cumbria.

“Not everyone attends their cervical screening appointment when invited, and we’re aware that one of the reasons for this is access and finding an appointment that’s convenient for them.

“So, if anyone is overdue their screening test or have been invited in the past but not attended, I’d encourage them to come along to the mobile unit where the staff will be happy to help and talk through any worries or concerns they may have.”

More than 3,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer in the UK each year, but 99.8 per cent of cervical cancer cases are preventable if caught early, which is why screening is so important.

More details about the Living Well bus, up-to-date information on the visits, and some helpful videos showing how the service works are all available at https://lancashireandsouthcumbria.icb.nhs.uk/cervical-screening-bus